Hotline Sort: Akin Apologizes, On Air

5) Politico reports that the National Federation of Independent Business will kick off a nearly $2 million campaign today to help their allies in Congress. The beneficiaries: Reps. Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., Tom Latham, R-Iowa, Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., Dan Lungren, R-Calif., Joe Heck, R-Nev. The group will also attack three Democratic incumbents: Reps. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., Mike Michaud, D-Maine and Betty Sutton, D-Ohio (who is running in a member-member primary against Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio).
4) Majority PAC and Patriot Majority are launching an $1.6 million TV ad buy in the Indiana, North Dakota, Montana, and Ohio Senate races. See the spot hitting Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdockhere, the ad targeting Rep. Rick Berg, D-N.D., here, the spot hitting Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., here, and the one going after Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandelhere.
3) Mitt Romney has pulled well ahead of President Obama in fundraising, Alex Roartyreports:

Obama for America, the Obama Victory Fund, and the Democratic National Committee had a combined $124 million on hand to close July, the FEC reports show. The total was roughly $60 million less than the $186 million haul the Romney campaign announced earlier in August, raised with the assistance of the Republican National Committee.

2) A draft GOP platform doesn't have an abortion exception in cases of rape or incest, the Tampa Bay Timesreports.
1) The latest with Todd Akin and the Missouri Senate race:
Despite the full-court press from the GOP to get Akin to withdraw from the race in advance of today's 5:00 p.m. deadline, he's giving no indication he'll do so. This morning he cut an apology ad, saying "I used the wrong words in the wrong way, and for that I apologize." He also said that "The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy."
Meanwhile, Akin skipped out on a scheduled appearance on CNN's Piers Morgan last night, prompting the host to call him "what we would call in Britain a gutless little twerp."
Steven Shepard contributed

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